Padded guard for athletes&#39; wear



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May 22, 192s.

' J. E. MAYNARD PDDEDv GUARD FOR ATHLETES WEAR Filed May 2, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 22, 1928.

UMTEDv STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN EDWARD MAYNARD, 0F `PLYMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR T0 THE DRAPER-MAYNARD COMPANY, 0F vFLYMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE, A CORPORA- TION 0F NEW HAMPSHIRE.

f PADDED GUARD FOR ATHLETES WEAR.

Application filed May 2, 1927. Serial No. 188,069.`

The invention relates to protective guards and pads for athletes wear, being more particularly intended for use by football players. Football pants are usually provided with separateA pads or guards for the thighs and hips. These pads are usually so disposed with relation to each other that there is an unprotected space between the separate pads, or even if their edges are normally adjacen'teach other, if therel is any sliding movement during action they will separate from each other so asto leave an unprotected portion of the body between them.

One object of the. present invention is to provide protective members for the` hips and thighs so arranged with relation to each other that their edges will overlap sufiioil ently to allow for-sliding ofthe said protective members `with relation to each other and still maintain some degree of overlap ping relation during all of the ordinary movements of the player.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for adjusting the thigh pads vertically rto allow for adjustment to lit players of different heightand also to provide means forv adjusting them laterally to enable the player to it the pad further to the front or rear accordingto his needs or convenience.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combination of the several pads and supporting member into a unitary article.

The invention will be fully understood from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the novel features thereof will be pointed out and clearly .defined in the claims at the close of this specilication.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a rear elevation of the combination device with. the several members assembled and united together.

F ig. 2 is a detail view showing the spine and hip pads and the thigh pads before the parts are assembled. v

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a portion of a human figure showing the manner of wearing the device.

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation showing the thigh pads adjusted vertically to a di'erent position with relation to the hip pads from that shown in Fig. l and showing them still in overlapping position.

V5 shows thel thigh pads adjusted laterally to a different position with relation to the hip padsbut still in overlapping posij tion.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown at 10 the waist band portion of the device which is provided with suitable means for fastening ktogether its ends. As shown in the drawings it is provided with eyelets 11 and lacings 12 whereby the two ends may be laced together. The waist band is preferably of suicieut width to cover the abdomen f and is padded as shown at a; to provide protection for the spine and for the lower'porpads 1 6, 16. The lower edge 15 of each of the said hip pad portions 15, 15 is in a diagonal line, inclining upwardly in the direction towards the endof the waist band. The upper edge 16 of each ofthe thigh pads 16, 16 also extends in a diagonal line corresponding with the loweredges of the extension of the hip portions 15, 15. The said members 15 and16are respectively provided with a series of eyelets or lacing holes 17 and 18 adjacent the edges of said members,

15 and 16 .and lacings 19 are provided for securing the thigh pads 16 to the said hip lnembers 15, 15.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the lacings lare 4shown as drawn u'p to bring the edges 16 of the pads 16 into close abutting relation to the edges 15 of the member 15. By letting out the lacings the pads 16 may be Vdropped down into a lower position, as shown in Fig. 4,

than when raised to its full height and thus permit adjustment for individuals of different height.

` If it is desiredl to adjust the thigh pad to bring it further around either toward the inner sideor toward the outer side the lacing may be started at the second hole from one end of the hip pad member 15 and terminate at the second hole at the opposite end of the thigh pad 16 as shown in Fig: 5 or a still further adjustment may bev obtained by starting the lacing at the third or. fourth or any other hole according to the extent of'iadjustment desired.

Hip shields 20, 20 free at their sides and lower end are provided which are attached to and depend from the lowery edge of' the waist band 10 in the rear of the depending hip pad portions 15, thus also-bringing them in the rear of the thigh pads 16. These hip shields are of sufficient size and extend down. tar enough and are so` disposed latorally as to partially overlap the thigh pads.

rllhis overlap is sul'iicient so that when thethigh pads are adjusted to dierent positionsibyy means ofthe lacings there Will' still be an' overlap.

The depending portions 15 to which the thighpads are connected are flexible'so'that 'the pads can slide both laterally and vertically to'A some extent with relation to the hipshield 26 to accommodate -them tothe movements o'lfthe wearer and the overlap 1s suliicient to allow tor such movement while still maintaining an overlap.

Preferably the` thigh pads have on the outeriace thereoi1 a shield 21 otrather rigid material concaved to the general curvature otthe thigh. rlhe upper portion of the pad 16,v however7 extends some distance above this rigid shield 21 so that it' makes aV iex ible connectionwvith the hip member 15, thesaid pad l/)being preferably of flexible ma-v terial such for instance thick `felt similar' to the portion 15.

The hip shields 2O are preferably some-v what rigid and curved to the contour of' thehip. y

'.lhe thigh pads 16 have connected therewith: straps 22 to bind the thigh pads to thelhe diagonal junction hne along theI edgesl" and 16 of the thigh pads and the pads linakes for a vertical adjustment toy some extent at the same time `as the lateral adjustment. rlhis is desirable because' of thefact that'fthe lower end of the hip shield tapers downward somewhat towards its lower end. It the thigh pad should move ina straight-'lateral direction it would lessen the overlap but by having the thigh pad move` upwardi at the same time that it? moves laterally outward the increasing width of the hipshield inan upward direction still maintains the. necessary overlap.

The device embodying the invention may nected with its supporting' member' on a` diagonal line^ by means which permit ad'- I justinent' of the thigh gua-rd' with( rela-tion to the supporting member botlr laterallyI and vertically, without increasing" the distance betweenA the proximate edges.

2.' A protective device for athletes? Wear haw'mg` thigh guards,y hip guards a-nd a waist" member from whieh= all` ot` said guardsare directlysuspended7 eachy thigh guardr having an'adjustable lacing connection with its supporting member, said lacing connection being along a1diagonalljunctionline and hav-4 inglacing liolesso arrangedfthat' the guard-i .may be adjusted? along' said? diagonal linea therel'iyr adjusting the guards both laterally and" vertically,` without vary-ing 'the spacingl between the guardsand` theA supporting m em b er'.

3.' An independent? protective device for football players comprising aw-aist band'l portionl adaptedft'ol be; secured?" around' the waistf of? thev playera. a\ bandy pad depending# from the Waist bandpsaid band .pad having intermediate itsv end'sl a depending portionr which` serves-- spine pad; said bandi pad' having"A depending por-tions near its ends' whicliserveas partial thigh pads, extensionI` thigh pads detachably secured to the lower' edges otA said partial thigh'P pads, thel con nect'ed edgesof' safidlpartial thigh pads and said extensionthigh padsbeing on a diagonal linel whereby adjustment of--` the lower member with relation tothe upper member along said` diagonal linel will" vary the position oi? the' extension` members both laterali'-V ly and vertically Without varying the spacing between said extension: portions and the partial thigh pads and hip'sliieltl's which;` depend from saidi Waist1 band' and hang free at the sides and lower end and partially'v overlap said thigh pads:V i

In testimony whereoflV affix my signature-.-

JOHN EDWARDMYNAR-l.

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